28562 - Language and Cultural Mediation: English I (First Language) (CL2)

Learning outcomes

Course contents

The course is divided into two modules, Language and culture and Oral translation. The first module, Language and  culture, will focus on the issue of racism, multiethnicity and multiculturalism in Great Britain. It will be divided into two parts, using respectively written and oral material.  The first part will be based on reading and analysis of a variety of texts from different genres (literature, criticism, autobiography, government reports, newspaper articles) which deal with the problem of racism and multiethnicity in Great Britain.    The aims of this part are:

-         to discover the linguistic features of different text genres;

-         to produce a written essay using the appropriate linguistic and textual parameters;

-         to explore the nature of cultural diversity in Great Britain, also to promote critical reflection on the nature and practice of oral and written mediation.

The second part will be based on the analysis and production of oral texts. It will focus in particular on English phonetics, the analysis of passages from television programmes and film, and the analysis of the lexis and grammatical structures pertinent to the topics examined.

In the second module, Oral Translation, students will simulate mediations between English native speakers and Italian native speakers in informal contexts (the restaurant, the airport, the travel agent's, the shop, the chemist's, etc.). Through such exercises students will be able to familiarize themselves with the appropriate vocabulary and strategies to manage conflict and potentially difficult situations.

The course will include also lessons in the language laboratory to improve listening skills and to prepare students in particular for the written exam.

Readings/Bibliography

The material for the module Lingua e cultura will be provided by the lecturer at the beginning of the module.   A reading list for the second module, Oral Translation, will be provided during the lessons.  Students are also advised to have access to the following types of reference book:

 

-         a monolingual learners' dictionary (e.g. Collins Cobuild Dictionary for Advanced Learners)

-         a monolingual English dictionary for native speakers (e.g. Concise Oxford English Dictionary)

-         a bilingual dictionary (e.g. Sansoni, Zanichelli)

-         a grammar reference book (e.g.  Collins Cobuild English Usage oppure Michael Swan, Practical English Usage)

Teaching methods

Both modules will include lectures but also group and pair work to encourage the practical use of the language.

Assessment methods

The mark for the course will be based on four parts:

-         written assignments for module A;

-         a  written test for module B;

-         a written exam (listening comprehension with a transcription and a summary)

-         an oral exam which includes discussion of a novel (chosen by the students from a list provided), sight translation, a role play involving interpreting between English and Italian and a reformulation exercise in Italian.

Teaching tools

Video, PC, photocopies, language laboratory.

Office hours

See the website of Rachele Antonini

See the website of Alan James Runcieman